Probable starters
ARIZONA
G Shaina Pellington (5-8 senior)
G/F Jade Loville (5-11 senior)
F Esmery Martinez (6-2 senior)
F Lauren Fields (5-9 senior)
F Cate Reese (6-2 senior)
STANFORD
G Haley Jones (6-1 senior)
F Cameron Brink (6-4 junior)
G Hannah Jump (6-0 senior)
G Talana Lepolo (5-7 freshman)
G Agnes Emma-Nnopu (5-11 junior)
History of matchup
Arizona is 11-74 against Stanford. UA coach Adia Barnes has won one game during her tenure at the helm of the Wildcats. That was the one-point win in the 2020 overtime thriller when Aari McDonald scored the winning basket with nine seconds left.
The last time these two played was early in the Pac-12 season at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal prevailed as the Wildcats were playing their third game in five days.
These two teams havenβt played at McKale Center in more than two years, since Jan. 1, 2021. It was the first of three meetings that season. Each time out the Wildcats closed the margin and nearly defeated Stanford in the national-championship game, losing by one point. In the last matchup at McKale, then-No. 1 Stanford won 81-54. Sam Thomas led the Wildcats with 14 points, and McDonald had 12. UA was held to 26% shooting.
Key players
Stanford β Cameron Brink
Brink, who is second in the nation with 90 blocks, didnβt have one in the loss to Washington on Sunday. That was the only game this season that she hasnβt recorded a block. As prolific as she is in the art of blocks, donβt expect her to make it two consecutive games without one. The last time these two teams met she swatted four shots but struggled on the offensive end, making only 3 of 15 shots for 12 points.
Arizona β Helena Pueyo
In the last matchup Pueyo had four steals, two blocks, seven rebounds, scored 10 points and dished on assist. Sheβs due for another stat-stuffing game. Barnes said that Pueyo hasnβt come out with her typical effort or sense of urgency in the last few games, and thatβs why she didnβt see much playing time against USC β only four minutes, a season low. In practice this week, Barnes said she saw the typical Pueyo spark.
She said it
βRebounding is a huge key. Hitting shots, because we know that theyβre going to allow us to shoot. They are going to play this far off Shaina (Pellington). They are going to give us shots early in the shot clock. We need to get the shots that we want and attack how we want.
βWe have to guard them. Rebounding is a huge key in transition defense. If we rebound, weβre going to be successful. ... Esmery (Martinez) has to stay out of foul trouble.
βWe need to run good offense because weβre going to have open shots a lot, and not get baited into taking the shots they want us to take. Get stops and run. I think we can be really successful here at home.
βItβs going to be an interesting game because theyβre coming off a loss, and they typically have great responses. And Tara (VanDerveer) is a great coach. Sheβs going to have great adjustments, and her team is going to be very motivated, Iβm sure, because theyβve had hard practices.
βWe are coming off of a high. Winning in tough situations; winning differently away. Weβre confident. We have momentum. One team has momentum; one team is getting re-focused. I think the first part of the game is really important to set the tone.β
β UA coach Adia Barnes on Stanford
Sidelines
First reveal: The NCAA will reveal the first top 16 during halftime of the Stanford-UA game. If the NCAA Tournament were to start the next day, these are the teams that would host the first round, which starts on March 15 and 16.
The NCAA will have a second reveal on Feb. 23 during halftime of the South Carolina-Tennessee game.
The big game: Thursday is a matchup of two ranked teams, and itβs televised on ESPN with the βAβ team of broadcasters: Rebecca Lobo, Ryan Ruocco and Holly Rowe.
Barnes went to Twitter on Tuesday morning to ask fans to sell out McKale. Itβs a βred out,β and UA is giving the first 1,000 fans who pass through the arenaβs doors a Barnes bobblehead.
Even former UA standout Thomas got into the act, tweeting: βIf Adia wants a βred outβ and a sellout, I think itβs only fair we all deliver. Iβll be there in my red.β
To help drive student attendance, the Wildcats paired up with the ZonaZoo on Tuesday to hand out pizza and T-shirts on the mall.
βWe got a lot of students to participate in different little challenges,β Pellington said. βI held a sign that said, βPour water on your head for a free prize.β I got a couple of people to do it. That was a lot of fun interacting with other students to promote our game. Iβm hoping that a lot of them will come out.β
Humidity in L.A?: At the end of regulation in Friday nightβs game with UCLA, it was tied at 61-apiece. Pellington had an open lane to the basket, and she slipped.
On Sunday afternoon, the Wildcats were wearing their grey uniforms, and sweat was showing through before the game tipped off.
What gives?
Pellington said it was humid in both gyms β Pauley Pavilion and the Galen Center β and everyone was sweating βmore than usual.β
βIt was even worse at USC, and I was just slipping all over the place,β Pellington said. βThere were a couple of times I just walked off to the side β we have this little sticky tape thing β just to wipe my shoes off and my hands. Everything was just really moist. It was so weird.
β(At UCLA) I slipped, and I was so upset because I donβt know what more I could have done at that point. It was the right shot. I would have made it if I hadnβt slipped. Sometimes stuff like that happens, and there is nothing you can do about it. Itβs just how will you respond and move on from there that matters.β
Fun facts
Arizona: Pellington was named Canada Basketballβs Player of the Week for her performances in Los Angeles over the weekend β¦ At Barnesβ radio show Tuesday night, Cate Reese taught a young fan how to do the βReese stompβ that she does when she makes a big play.
Stanford: Brinkβs mom and dad, Michelle and Greg, played basketball at Virginia Tech and were roommates with Stephen Curryβs parents, Sonya and Dell. Sonya and Steph have attended many of Stanfordβs games β sitting in seats under the basket β at Maples this season.
Numbers game
17 β Before last weekend it had been 17 years since Arizona won back-to-back overtime games. The Wildcats defeated TCU 59-56 and NC State 68-66 in November 2006.
11 β McDonaldβs All-Americans are on the squads for both teams Thursday. UA has Reese, Maya Nnaji and Paris Clark; Stanford has Brink, Haley Jones, Lauren Betts, Fran Belibi, Kiki Iriafen, Brooke Demetre, Indya Nivar and Ashten Prechtel.
2 β The last time Stanford lost back-to-back games was two years ago in January 2021, when the Cardinal dropped one to Colorado in OT (77-72) and followed that up with a loss to then-No. 6 UCLA 70-66. Those were the only two games the Cardinal lost on their journey to win the national championship.